1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape take-up and a cover-tape take-up apparatus and particularly to the art of simplifying the construction of the tape take-up.
2. Related Art Statement
There is known a tape take-up which is employed in, e.g., a cover-tape take-up apparatus, for taking up a cover tape of a circuit-component ("CC") carrier tape. The CC carrier tape includes, in addition to the cover tape, a base tape having, at a predetermined pocket pitch in a lengthwise direction thereof, a plurality of pockets in which a plurality of circuit components ("CCs") such as electric-circuit or electronic-circuit components are accommodated, respectively, and which are closed by the cover tape adhered to the base tape. The CC carrier tape is fed by a tape feeding device at a predetermined feeding pitch equal to the predetermined pocket pitch, while the cover tape is peeled off the base tape. The CCs are picked up through respective openings of the pockets after the peeling of the cover tape, and the peeled cover tape is taken up by the cover-tape take-up apparatus.
The known tape take-up includes a first member, and a second member including a drum portion for taking up the cover tape. The first and second members include respective engageable portions, and are combined with each other by engaging the respective engageable portions with each other. In the combined state, the first and second members are not rotatable relative to each other. The second member can be separated from the first member by disengaging the engageable portions from each other. The cover-tape take-up apparatus includes a driving or rotating device including a rotatable drive member. The drive member is rotated at a predetermined angular pitch, and the rotation thereof is transmitted to the first member by a friction-utilizing transmitting mechanism. The second member is rotated with the first member, and the drum portion of the second member takes up the cover tape. As the amount of the cover tape taken up by the drum portion increases, the diameter of the cover tape wound around the drum portion increases and therefore the length of the cover tape taken up by unit-angle rotation of the drum portion increases. On the other hand, the length of the cover tape peeled off the base tape when the CC carrier tape is fed in each tape feeding operation, is constant, that is, equal to the predetermined feeding pitch, and the drive member is rotated at the predetermined angular pitch. Thus, the tape take-up is subjected to a tensile force applied thereto by the cover tape in a direction opposite to the direction in which the tape take-up takes up the cover tape. When a resistance torque applied to the tape take-up because of the tensile force exceeds a drive torque applied to the tape take-up because of the friction force produced by the friction-utilizing transmitting mechanism, the drive member is slid and rotated relative to the first member of the tape takeup. Thus, the peripheral speed of the tape take-up that corresponds to the diameter of the cover tape taken up and wound around the drum portion is always kept equal to the speed of feeding of the CC carrier tape. That is, the tape take-up takes up just the length of the cover tape peeled off the base tape during each tape feeding operation. When the tape take-up becomes full of the cover tape taken up from the CC carrier tape, an operator disengages the respective engageable portions of the first and second members, from each other, removes the second member from the first member, and engages the engageable portion of a new or empty second member to that of the first member so that the first member and the new second member are rotatable as a unit.
However, the known tape take-up requires that its first and second members include respective engageable portions which are engageable with each other for combining the first and second members such that the first and second members are not rotatable relative to each other, and needs a friction-utilizing transmitting mechanism which transmits the rotation of the drive member to the first member by utilizing the friction force produced between the drive member and the first member. Thus, the known tape take-up suffers from the complex construction. In addition, when the operator attaches and detaches the second member to and from the first member, he or she must engage and disengage the engageable portions of the first and second members with and from each other. However, those operations are cumbersome.